KS-23M
}} The KS-23M is a Soviet Pump-Action Shotgun. The KS-23 is unlocked at rank 56 or can be purchased with credits (CR). History The KS-23 is a Soviet shotgun originally designed for controlling prison riots. Operators of this shotgun would be equipped variety of ammunition, most of which are not included in the game. Officially, the KS-23 is considered a carbine by the Russian military thanks to its rifled barrel, which is an uncommon feature for shotguns. The barrel of the shotgun is manufactured from 23mm anti-aircraft cannons that were considered flawed but still usable for the KS-23. As a result, the KS-23 fires what are roughly 6.27 gauge shells, which are the largest shells ever created for a shotgun. 3 more variants of the original KS-23 eventually came after this, the KS-23M, KS-23K, and the TOZ-123. The KS-23M features a detachable wire stock and shorter barrel, the KS-23K is a bullpup version that is fed from a 7-round detachable magazine, and the TOZ-123 is a civilian version that features a smoothbore barrel instead of a rifled one. In-Game ''General Information '' The KS-23M has the highest damage out of any shotgun, even more than the Remington 870. It also has a longer effective range compared to the other guns in its category. However, its magazine size is smaller than all other shotguns except the Serbu Shotgun. It's RoF is also the slowest in its class. It has the same time to reload one shell as all other shotguns. Along with its high damage and long effective range, the main advantage of this shotgun is its tight spread, which further amplifies its effectiveness at mid-range. In fact, it has the tightest spread of all shotguns in the game, making it very accurate even outside of CQC. Usage & Tactics The main weakness of the KS-23M is it's low RoF and magazine size. This lets it down in CQC, as the penalty for missing a shot is more substantial compared to other shotguns like the R870. This makes the KS-23M much more dependent on accuracy than any other shotgun, heavily relying on hitting the first shot with precision. Hipfiring outside of close range isn't recommended, even in CQC as it is less reliable than ADS, which, when combined with the gun's tight spread, is one of its key strengths. With slugs, the KS-23M performs very similar to itself when equipped with buckshot; one-hit kills anywhere out to 52 studs, and one-hit torso kills beyond that, and one-hit headshot kills at any range, just like the Remington 870. ( WIP ) Conclusion The KS-23M is, overall, a very powerful shotgun, but can let down by its RoF and minuscule magazine size. It is best used at mid-range, where it will devastate enemies with its tight spread and high damage, but can also be used effectively at close range with its very high damage. It rewards players that land accurate shots on target consistently. Pros & Cons Pros: * Very high damage * Consistent 1-shot kills out to ~60 studs, and consistent 2-hit kills out to 90 studs * Tight spread and high damage makes kills beyond 85 studs a more reasonable affair * Better one-hit anywhere range with slugs than the BFG/sfg 50 (52 studs vs 50) * Effective range of ~125 studs; very good for a shotgun. Cons: * Slow RoF * Small magazine size * Weird pump animation; the gun doesn't fire immediately after pumping; only after the recoil settles. As a result, the rate of fire is reduced even more. Trivia * Due to being rifled, the KS-23M is actually classified as a carbine in the Russian military. This is shown by the designation KS, which stands for Karabin Spetsialniy, or "special carbine." Category:Shotguns Category:Primary Weapons